Term of the Week: Localization

What is it?

Adaptation of content to make it more meaningful, appropriate, and effective for a particular culture, locale, or market.

Why is it important?

Increases the relevance of the content for a particular target audience.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

Localization, sometimes abbreviated as l10n, is an essential process in the content strategist’s toolkit. More than just an add-on at the end of the content development cycle, localization requires careful planning and strategy right from the start.

To be effective, content must be relevant and meaningful to the target audience. Localization is the process by which content is made more appropriate and more meaningful for a particular culture. Without localization, content developers would be spinning generic pablum in the hope that users (near or far) will recognize a scintilla of meaning, latch on, and perhaps buy the product, heed the warning, or swallow the pitch.

Localization is strategic: it requires a comprehensive, planned approach in which all parts of the content system—the messaging, technologies, audience—come together in a dynamic, creative process, producing what can best be described as an “aha moment.” Localized content taps into the power of local culture and uses it to project and amplify its message to create a deeper, more resonant message.

Localization is about producing aha in any language, culture, or medium. A content strategy that doesn’t lead to an aha falls flat. On the other hand, a localization-driven content strategy is capable of producing meaningful content experiences for its audience(s), creating ahas in Anchorage, Andorra, and Anhui.

In sum, content strategists need to know how to leverage the power of culture to create successful content experiences, and localization is the means by which they can harness that power.

About this site

Each week, we feature a guest expert who will define and help you understand an important term every content strategist should know and understand. 52 weeks. 52 terms. 52 definitions. 52 essays from 52 experts. This is the beginning of a common language. The language of content strategy.

Buy the book!

You can buy the book now, with all fifty-two definitions, essays about the importance of each term, and a full index.